Dumping-car



(No Mo del.)

L. J. WOODHEAD.

DUMPING GAR.

No. 364,618. Patented June 7, 1887.

INVENTQR I M44,

d' r ATTORNE NITED STATES ATENT Di ries.

LAXVRENOE JOHN W'QODHEAD, OF GHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

DUMPlNG-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 364,618, dated June 7, 1887.

Application lilel March 9, 1887.

bility of construction andfaeility of operation,

as well as provides for the expeditious dumping of the load; and theinvention consists of the employment, in connection with hinged sides or gates, of mechanism for their manipulationin opening and closing them; in retaining them open, and in looking the same when closed. The invention also consists in providing the car with a rounded or convex bottom, which in a great measure effects the automatic removal or dumping of the load, this form or construction of bottom permitting of the attendant or operator readily effecting the removal or discharge of the remainder of the contents or load, all substantially as hereinafter more-fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective VlGW of a car-body broken away transversely of its length and with one side and end removed, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof.

Fig. 3 is an inverted view of a portion of the same at a point intermediate of two gates, disclosing in duplicate the rack-bar and pinion; and Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig.2.

In carrying out my invention, as above outlined, I construct or provide the body of the car with the usual ends, of which only one,

. A, is here shown, and with hinged or pivoted sectional sides or gates, each section forming a gate, B, as is common, said sections or gates being hinged or pivoted at their upperedge in any suitable way. The bottom proper, O, is, as will be seen byreference more particularly to Fig. 2, made or constructed rounding or convex, with its highest point or surface at the center of the body and in alignment with its longitudinal axis, the same having a twofold purpose-via, to effect in a great measure the Serial No. 230292. (No model.)

automatic dumping of the load when the gates or sides are opened, and to' permit, as distinguished from the form or construction of carbottom having its center terminating into an apex or angle, the attendant or operator to readily reach or move along its highest point or center and start the remaining portion of the contents or load down the sloping or rounding sides of the bottom, and thus effect the expeditious removal or dumping of the load.

D D are obliquely-disposed rack-bars, of which one is connected to each end of a gate, B, at its upper end, a pin or pintle, a, suitably connected to the outside of the gate, near its upper edge, projecting beyond the end of the gate into an aperture or hole in said end of the rack-bar. The lower ends of the raclebars engage with pinions E, secured upon a common shaft, 7), jourualed in an end bottom timher, and a box secured to a longitudinal timber, as many boxes of course being used as are necessary to properly support the shaft at suitable intervals throughout its length, exclusive of its extreme end bearings in the end timbers of the car-bottom.

The obliquely-disposed rack-bars D at a point intermediate of two gates, B, (two of which rack-bars are arranged closely together at such point, but only one gate is shown,) projector passinto the c ar,and are consequently required to be protected or excluded from contact with the contents thereof.

ing an approximately semi-cylindrical casting, 1), and a plain or flat plate, b", bolted to the casting, while the casting is bolted to the bottom 0 and to a standard, I), of the carbody. Passing through the lowerand upper flange of the casting I) of the brace 13, and resting in a groove thereof, is a strengtheningrod, 13*, which also passes through and is bolted to the standard I) and a bottom timber.

The outer upper ends of the rack-bars D last referred to may be or are protected from falling substances or material with which the ear maybe loading by a hinged plate or flap,

If, connected to the standard If and adapted to rest upon said ends of the said rack-bars.

I I thereforeinclose said racks at this point within a diagonal or oblique-hollow brace, 13, the same comprisone by means of a bent or angular plate, If, fastened to an end bottom timber, and the two closely arranged together, one by means of a bifurcated plate, b, bolted or fastened to a longitudinal bottom timber, said plate having three tongues, one being arranged on the outer side of each rack-bar, and the other tongue projecting between and keeping the pinions E the requisite interval apart.

F is a hand-lever arranged at one end of the car and with its upper end conveniently disposed for manipulation and its lower end secured to the shaft 1). Upon the same shaft 1), alongside of the lower end of the lever F, is secured a ratchet, c, with which engages a levcr-pawl, d, fulcrumed upon a pivot, d, projecting from the side of an end bottom timber or other convenient part of the ear-body, which pawl is adapted by the action of the foot upon its rear end or arm to be released from said ratchet. It will be seen that by moving the hand-lever F in the required direction( forward) the gate B will be opened, its lower edge being swung outward, which will permit of the dumping of the contents of the car. The ratchet c at the same time being revolved by the rotation or turning of the shaft 1), carrying the pinion E, with which engage the gate-actuating rack-bars D, and the lever pawl (Z by gravity engagingthe said ratchet, the gate, it will thus be seen, is automatically held or locked in its open position.

G is a rock-shaft hung or supported in staples or brackets c driven into the outside of one of the longitudinal bottom timbers, the same arrangementin practice being duplicated for the gates which the car is designed to have on the opposite side. One end of this rockshaft is extended upward into a handle, f, being arranged to be readily grasped, and stands normally alongside of a staple-like device, 1 secured to an end standard of the body, and having a sliding ring, g, which is adapted to fit around the handle f, and thus lock it in position.

The rock-shaft G is provided with a series of short projections or arms, G, which, when the handlef of the rock-shaft stands in its normal or locked position, clamp or hold the gate or gates B in a locked closed position. Of course, in order to withdraw or release the arms or projections G of the rock-shaft G from the gate preliminary to opening the latter, it

is only necessary to slide the ring 1' up off the handle f, when by gravity said arms or pro j eetions will at once take or assume a position out of alignment with the plane of movement of the gate. The lower projecting ends of vertical cross-bars h, fastened to the outside of the gate or gates B,are tapered or pointed, and may be re enforced with plates of metal to permit the gate or gates to be readily clamped or locked by the short arms or projections G of the rock-shaft G, said arms or projections bearing against said re-enforced projecting ends of the cross-bars h.

As previously stated, it will have been observed from the foregoing that my invention is characteristic for simplicity of construction and facility of manipulation, while strength and durability are promoted and the dumping operation expeditiously performed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is-- 1. The combination, with the carbody and a gate hinged or pivoted thereto, of the rockshaft having arms or projections bearing upon the said gate, and which shaft is provided with a handle held in its normal position by a ring sliding upon said handle, and a staple-likedevice, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the car-body, bottom, and the rack-bars, of the hollow brace inclosing said rack-bars within the car-body, and the rod passingthrough flanges of said brace and bolted to the car-body, substantially as and for the purpose indicated.

8. The combination, with the rack-bars and the car-body, of the bifurcated plate having tongues, one arranged upon the outside of each rack-bar and the other tongue projecting .between the pinions with which said bars ongage, substantially as and for the purpose designated.

4. In a dumping car, the car-body provided with a rounding or convexed bottom with its sides sloping toward gates hinged or pivoted to said car-body, substantially as and for the purpose described.

hAllltllNOli JOllN \VOODllEAl).

Witnesses:

A. J. BELL, HERMAN MARQUAR'D. 

